It's Official: Fox Cancels 'Lone Star'

UPDATED: We have the first cancellation of the 2010-2011 season. No big surprise here – Fox today pulled the plug on the critically praised new soap Lone Star after 2 low-rated airings. Starting next Monday, Lone Star will be replaced by procedural Lie to Me, which has been called to duty earlier than planned. Lie To Me‘s third season will launch next week in the Monday 9 PM slot, which the crime drama once occupied. Following Fox’s cancellation, 20th Century Fox TV decided to immediately cease production on the show, which was filming Episode 6. It is not clear what will happen with the 3 produced episodes that have not aired yet.

The writing was pretty much on the wall after the much-hyped Lone Star opened with a 1.3 rating in 18-49 last week. It got a reprieve but, instead of rebounding, it actually slipped from its disastrous premiere last night to a 1.0 rating, tied with the CW’s Gossip Girl in the 9 PM hour. That’s how, armed with strong reviews, solid cast and a big marketing campaign, Lone Star, became one of the biggest series misfires in recent TV memory. The consensus was that it was a series better suited for cable. But, since Lone Star was developed and budgeted as a broadcast series and in light of its quick demise on Fox without any devoted following, an afterlife for the series on cable appear extremely unlikely.